Omari Thomas on his 83 Overall rating in College Football 25: ‘I expect it to change for sure’

It’s not that Omari Thomas is insulted by the number. Instead, Tennessee’s redshirt senior defensive tackle is just ready to do something about it. He was given an 83 Overall rating in the new EA Sports College Football 25 video game. And that’s not good enough.

“I expect it to change for sure,” Thomas said Tuesday during Tennessee’s turn at SEC Media Days in Dallas. “But I’m happy with it.”

Thomas is the seventh-highest rated Tennessee player on the game , which had an early release Monday afternoon and is making its return for the first time since 2014.

Omari Thomas is Tennessee’s seventh-highest rated player on new game

Junior edge rusher James Pearce Jr. topped the list for the Vols with a 95 Overall, ahead of redshirt senior center Cade Mays (89), junior receiver Squirrel White (87), fifth-year senior receiver Bru McCoy (86), redshirt freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava (86) and junior running back Dylan Sampson .

Chris Brazzell II , the transfer receiver from Tulane, is just behind Thomas with an 82 Overall rating. Receiver Dont’e Thornton , defensive back Jourdan Thomas , Notre Dame transfer tight end Holden Staes and offensive lineman Jackson Lampley all have 81 Overall ratings.

“At the end of the day, it’s a video game,” Thomas said. “You can’t get too down about it, can’t get too up about it. I’m going to still play the game regardless if I was a 60.”

Thomas, the 6-foot-4, 325-pound Memphis native, has 94 Strength and 92 Awareness. In 48 career games over the last four seasons, Thomas has 93 tackles, 11.0 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks. Last season he had career highs in tackles (35) and tackles for loss (4.5).

“It’s just fun to be able to be a part of something that was once before and now they’ve brought it back,” Thomas said. “It’s a blessing to be in that position and just to know I was part of the game that came back regardless of the overall, but I do appreciate the 83.”

Tennessee’s defense looking to create more turnovers this season

Thomas feels similar about Tennessee’s defense. The Vols showed improvement on that side of the ball in 2023 and how he expects that climb to continue.

He knows where it starts, too.

“For us, I feel like as a defense, in order for us to grow, we have to continue to create turnovers,” Thomas said.

Tennessee’s defense last season was 59th nationally in turnovers forced, with 18 total — six fumbles recovered and 12 interceptions.

“We need to create way more turnovers than we have been,” Thomas said, “and I feel like that’s really the main step forward is that we need to create turnovers.”

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